Susan Gabriel

The Secret Sense of Wildflower - Southern Historical Fiction, Best Book of 2012 Susan Gabriel

"There are two things I am afraid of. One is dying young. The other is Johnny Monroe."

Small southern towns have few secrets. But when a grieving daughter confronts the local bully, she unwittingly triggers a series of traumatic events that will change her life forever.




Appalachia, 1941. Thirteen-year-old Louisa May "Wildflower" McAllister's heart still aches for her father. A year after her dad's tragic sawmill accident, she relies on her strength of spirit and her heightened intuition to deal with a critical mother and cope with the aftermath. Despite these hardships, Wildflower has a resilience that is forged with humor, a love of the land, and an endless supply of questions.

But when she's targeted by the town's teenage bad boy, she may need more than her "secret sense" to survive.

Will Wildflower fall to another tragedy or will her strength be enough to carry her through?




With prose as lush and colorful as the American south, The Secret Sense of Wildflower is powerful and poignant, brimming with energy and angst, humor and hope.

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Named a Best Book of 2012 by Kirkus Reviews: "A quietly powerful story, at times harrowing but ultimately a joy to read."

"This was chosen by our book club as our book for the month. I am so happy it was! It was the best book of the year." - Cecilia C.